Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) Trading Down 0.4% – Here’s Why

Shares of Costco Wholesale Co. (NASDAQ:COST) dropped 0.4% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $1,025.22 and last traded at $1,030.83. Approximately 496,952 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 1,863,521 shares. The stock had previously closed at $1,035.03.

Analyst Ratings Changes

COST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Costco Wholesale from $990.00 to $1,030.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $975.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Costco Wholesale from $1,000.00 to $1,075.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on Costco Wholesale from $1,050.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on Costco Wholesale from $900.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,021.93.

Costco Wholesale Stock Up 0.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $459.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.75, a PEG ratio of 6.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $975.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $932.24.

Costco Wholesale Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $1.16 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $4.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.45%. Costco Wholesale’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.25%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Costco Wholesale

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in COST. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,344,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Costco Wholesale by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 16,592 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $15,203,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the period. Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX purchased a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale during the 4th quarter worth approximately $10,774,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Costco Wholesale in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,749,000. Finally, United Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Costco Wholesale by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. United Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,287 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $2,096,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.48% of the company’s stock.

Costco Wholesale Company Profile

Costco Wholesale Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of membership warehouses in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, China, Spain, France, Iceland, New Zealand, and Sweden. The company offers branded and private-label products in a range of merchandise categories.